“That’s worth using for a whole month during the hottest time of the year, when we could really save on the supply side.” The Environment Agency has warned that much of England is headed for drought if the dry weather continues. Very hot weather is again forecast for southern England next week, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-30s. July was the driest on record for South East England and East Anglia, with just 10 per cent of average rain falling in the South East. In Cornwall, 40 firefighters tackled a grass fire near Truro on Saturday, while in Norfolk the River Wensum stopped flowing through a historic watermill for the first time in a century. On Friday, Scotland went into drought “red alert”, prompting the Scottish Environment Agency to implement its first water bans, restricting use for industrial users including distilleries and golf courses. Referring to the need for water companies to act to plug leaks, Mr Eustice said: “The onus must be on companies to do more to reduce leaks, building on the progress made in recent years. “We expect water companies to step up, adapt, better innovate their approaches to demand reduction and better support customers with measures to reduce water consumption. If we do not see the changes that we and the public rightly expect, I will not hesitate to step in and take further action.”
